Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-11-13
w. d. KNIGHT. s. GORDON.
Sunday, November 10. 1887.
AsLOw COACH

gress for its rigidity and lack Of re.
sponsiveness to public sentiment. The
house Of commons is very different.
The ministry find themselves In the
minority on an important question,
Parliament 10 dissolved. The writs
are issued for q new election. There
is an active canvass. A new house is
elected. 1t meets at once. The whole
thing has been done In perhaps three
months, thus the public will finds
easy and prompt expression.
In November, 1856. we elected II
house of representatives. In the ordl-
nary Course of events, il will have its
first meeting in December, 1857, just
thirteen months after it was elected.
Further, there Is no constitutions al
way of getting rid Off before March
4, 1859. One can see al y glance
that the popular ideas prevailing in
the fall OF 's6 might change completes
ly before the winter OF 1918, thus max.
ing the house of that season complete.
ly out VI record with the nation.
The theory of the constitution is
that the lower house shall be the pop
ulsr ranch, and that public senti.
men. shall be ascertained by frequent
appeals to the people. A fixed ten
ure is compensated by ing it short
SO three different houses may be elect.
ed while the Senate can be changed
only once.
The plan Of a fixed term for repre-.
sentatives may or may not be better
than the English plan, but the absurd
ly long time that elapses after the
election before the house assemblies
certainly goes far TO defeat the inten'
tion Of the constitution.
When the document was adopted
the time was fixed we'll enough. That
was the era Of stage coaches and horse
back journeys. News dribbi,d slowly
through the country. IL took n long
time 10 ascertain and verify the result
OF an election. Ii took a long time for
congressman TO get together. Aud
for the same reasons publlc ideas
changed slowly. But now news trav.
els by electricity and men travel by
steam. The daily paper is in reach Of
every mans hand morning and even
ing. The result of an election in
Maine ON Tuesday is generally known
in California on "Wednesday at break
fast time.
How different this from the methods
OF 100 years ago. Then a mail was
sent from New York TO Boston three
times n week ia summer and twice q
week 10 winter. In good weather the
trip was made IN six days; but when
the snow lay deep in the woods, nine
were consumed. Aud this was be-
tween two principal cities at no great
distance apart. But to reach tie hill
towns of New Hampsh re or Pennsyl.
yauia,or the remote plantations Of the
C%arollnas, more time was consumed
than would now be needed to send
from Philadelphia to Picking. Wash
ington writes from Virginia to X. III.
Lee in South Carolina, under date OF
Dec. II, 1854: the letter which you
did me the honor TO write me on the
10Th of last month only am TO my
hands by the post preceding the date
OF this"
We need not multiply instances,
The life Of the closing years Of the last
century was all adjusted to this intOl
cradle slowness. A week will carry
the most distant representative from
his ZONE TO Washington. A few
weeks will suffice to decide the most
bitterly litigated election result.
There is no reason why a Congress
elected in November should moi meet
10 the following January. We trust
that the session Of the coming winter
will not be allowed to pass without
Congress doing its part toward re
moving this ridiculous anomaly from
"a political methods. -Minneapolit
Journal.